Women's Basketball

LIVIN' THE DREAM: GUENSCH LEANS ON FAITH DURING COACHING JOURNEY

Jun 22, 2010

By: Scott Day

It was a night that he'll never forget.

It was 4 a.m. and he was deep in sleep when his cell phone rang.
He rustled around and mumbled a "hello?" On the other end of the
conversation, he heard his father, Craig. The next few minutes
forever changed the way Darren Guensch looked at life.

He learned that his 19-year-old cousin, Mark, was killed in a car
accident. Not only had he lost a family member, he had lost one of
his closest friends.

"Sitting at his funeral, all I heard was people talk about how
much he trusted God and was an example of Christ," Guensch said.
"It's one thing to say you know God has a plan, but it's another
thing to live it."

Mark's Facebook status the night of his death read,
"Livin' the Dream" because he lived his life knowing that
ultimately God was in control.

Inspired by his cousin's motto, Darren trusted God more than
ever which has landed him an assistant coaching position with VCU's
women's basketball team, announced by Head Coach Beth Cunningham
last week.

"It's funny because I worked all those years knowing that I would
eventually get a shot, but now that I've been given this incredible
opportunity, it's tough for me to even believe," Guensch said. "I
really don't think it's hit me yet, but believe me, I'm ready to
roll."

It hasn't always been an easy road for the 27-year-old Guensch,
but it has been a well-traveled one.

Born in Minneapolis, Minn., he made stops at Fort Lauderdale and
Charlotte before finally landing in Northern Virginia. It was
evident from an early age that Guensch's passion was in sports.
After playing every sport known to mankind growing up, he fell in
love with basketball.

"There's just something incredibly special about this game,"
Guensch said. "To see all five players on the same page working to
the same goal, it's just awesome to see. When that happens in this
game, anything can happen on any given night."

He played on the hardwood throughout his childhood and never gave
up his love for the game, even after being cut in his freshman year
of high school in North Carolina, or cut during his junior year at
Loudon County. Nothing could take away his passion for hoops.
Although his dream of playing the game was gone, he transferred his
passion into becoming a student of the game.

"Of course you always want to keep playing, but I've learned so
much from not getting that opportunity," Guensch said. "It was
another lesson in trusting God and learning humility. It allowed me
to become a total student of the game and I wouldn't change it for
the world."

After four years at Radford, Guensch spent time as an intern for
Push the Rock, a Christian Sports ministry based in Emmaus, Pa.

"Push the Rock was really where I truly felt moved to become a
coach," Guensch said. "To work with the kids on a daily basis and
be able to create all these relationships and affect people in a
positive manner, it was inspiring."

From there, he wouldn't be stopped from his goal. He went back to
Loudon County and took on the job of Head Coach of the freshman
girls' team as well as an assistant for the Raiders' varsity
squad.

"I just wanted to get as much experience as possible," Guensch
said. "[LCHS Head Coach] Kevin Reed was an incredible coach to
learn from and gave me my start in this field. The first practice
with the freshman team was interesting because it was just me and
only me, but after awhile I felt a little more comfortable and it
just increased my desire to be a coach."

During the spring of 2006, he was coaching AAU basketball when he
began sending out emails to several college head coaches, asking
for advice for an up-and-coming young coach. One of the first ones
to send back was Jim Larranaga, who was just coming off a run to
the Final Four. He advised Guensch to try and work as many camps as
possible to make contacts.

Guensch did exactly that and worked the Mason men's basketball
camps, which landed him in contact with the women's basketball
program, which just happened to have a Director of Basketball
Operations position available. At age of 23, he leapt into the
world of college basketball.

"I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get around college
coaches," Guensch said. "It all goes back to God's plan. He
continually opens up the doors and I'm blessed to get these
chances."

From there, he let his work ethic and drive do the talking, taking
on travel responsibilities, running camps, video exchanges and all
the critical behind-the-scenes elements that the position called
for with a passion.

"Darren's work ethic is second to none," former George Mason
Women's Basketball Head Coach Debbie Taneyhill stated. "His passion
for relationships and for the game of basketball will take him a
long way in this occupation."

After spending two consecutive losing seasons with the Patriots,
there was question about the job security of the staff. Then came
February 17, 2008, the night of Mark's accident.

"It's something that will live with me forever," Guensch said. "At
that time more than ever, I had to cling to God's plan."

Just two months after his cousin's accident, Taneyhill resigned
from her position and her staff was let go, leaving Guensch to lean
on his faith even more.

Not long after that, the Director of Basketball Operations
position opened up at VCU and he quickly applied for the job and
was hired by Cunningham after building a relationship with her
through two CAA seasons.

"We were familiar with Darren's work since he was coming from
another CAA school," Cunningham said. "It was exciting to be able
to add someone that possesses valuable assets to our program in the
Director of Ops position."

It was a complete 180-degree turn from his two years at George
Mason with back-to-back postseason runs by the Black & Gold
with Guensch on the sideline.

"From the first day I started at VCU, I knew it was complete
different," Guensch said. "There's a way the players carried
themselves that told people they were winners. It really excited me
to learn as much as possible from a great coaching staff."

The work ethic and drive that he showed with the Patriots was
clear to everyone in the VCU athletic department. It became rare to
see Guensch's office door closed, no matter what time of day.

"The work ethic was instilled in me from a very early age,"
Guensch said. "My dad worked as an air traffic controller and his
work ethic was incredible. It didn't matter what shift he had to
work or however many days in a row he had to work or what day of
the week it was, he always did whatever he had to get the job
done."

His work ethic wasn't the only thing that made Guensch stand apart
from the rest as he continually worked on his knowledge of the
game, filling his office with books upon books on leadership,
coaching and basketball. Every chance he got he was talking to both
the men's and women's coaches, trying to pick their brain.

Even on vacation, he couldn't stop learning. During a week-long
trip to the Outer Banks with friends, his wife Devon mentions that
it was a rare sight to see Darren not reading. In a week, he read
four books.

"Reading is something I've always enjoyed," Guensch said. "I want
to be the best coach possible and books from coaches like John
Wooden and Tony Dungy are something you can't pass up."

So when two assistant positions opened up on the women's hoops
staff, Cunningham didn't have to look far to fill one of the
spots.

"Darren has been an integral part of our success the last two
years," Cunningham added. "I am excited to have him in a new
role as an assistant coach. He has earned the respect and
confidence of our staff and student-athletes and is certain to be a
valuable up-and-coming young coach."

Just like his cousin Mark said, "I don't like stressin', I know
God has a plan." Thankfully for VCU, that plan landed Guensch with
the Rams.